Improving ESL Program at Middlesex County College
Middlesex County College implemented changes to its ESL program to better serve its diverse student population. The new integrated curriculum aims to enhance student success by aligning with credit-level programs and eliminating placement tests. The redesigned program offers phased courses with an emphasis on integrated skills development, ultimately preparing students for academic success. The initiative addresses the shortcomings of the previous curriculum and strives to provide a more effective learning experience for ESL students at the college.
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League for Innovations March 2018 Gary Abbott, Chair, Department of ESL, Languages, and Cultures Dr. Iris Ramer, Professor, ESL Middlesex County College, Edison, NJ
The new ESL Program at MCC Why the change? Early success data Next steps Interactive integrated lesson Questions Outcomes Explain the benefits and challenges of adopting an integrated ESL program Use a model integrated lesson
Middlesex County College located in Central New Jersey Main Campus and 2 Centers 11,400 students 900 in ESL classes Ethnically diverse 31% Hispanic; 29% White; 15% Asian; 12% Black 46% of full-time students with an income less than $30K Average age: 23 53% Female; 47% male
Existing ESL curriculum was not meeting the needs of our students 67 credits ($9650) Separate courses in reading, writing, structure, and discussion 5 semesters at full-time to complete Pass rates below where we wanted them to be Students obligated to take the College Placement test upon completion of ESL coursework 70% required to additional developmental reading and/or writing classes
Creating an ESL path to Credit Level Programs Aligning the ESL curriculum with Developmental English different paths, one goal Eliminating the College Placement test Integrated Courses Combining Writing with Structure Combining Reading with Speaking Department Final testing Language Resource Center
Old Program Old Program New Program New Program Level 1 17 credits Level 1 Listening I (3 cr.) Phonology I (3 cr.) Discussion (3 cr.) Structure (4 cr.) Writing (4 cr.) Phonology II (3 cr.) Discussion/Cultural Orientation II (3 cr.) Reading/Vocabulary II (3 cr.) Structure II (4 cr.) Writing II (4. cr.) Reading/Vocabulary III (3 cr.) Phonology/Discussion III (3 cr.) Structure III (4 cr.) Writing III (4 cr.) Advanced Phonology/Discussion IV (3 cr.) Advanced Reading/Vocabulary (4 cr.) Advanced Structure IV (3 cr.) Advanced Writing IV (4 cr.) Pre-Academic in Continuing Education - 10 hrs/week (MTWTH) - 14 weeks Reading and Speaking 1 (5 cr.) Level 2 17 credits Level 2 Level 1 Level 1 Writing and Structure 1 (5 cr.) Reading and Speaking 2 (5 cr.) Level 3 14 credits Level 3 Level 2 Level 2 Writing and Structure 2 (5 cr.) Reading and Speaking 3 (5 cr.) Level 4 14 credits Level 4 Level 3 Level 3 Writing and Structure 3 (5 cr.) Reading and Speaking 4 (5 cr.) Level 5 4 credits Level 5 ESL Reading/Writing (4 cr.) Level 4 Level 4 Writing and Structure 4 (5 cr.) Total 67 Credits/5 Semesters 40 Credits/4 Semesters
Total Enrollment by Level and Semester Fall 16 to Spring 17 Fall 2016 Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Total Enrollment by Level and Semester Fall 16 to Spring 17 Spring 2017 Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 397 407 378 390 245 397 357 374 Fall 2016 Success Rate Fall 2016 Success Rate Spring 2017 Success Rate Spring 2017 Success Rate 100 100 80 80 60 60 40 40 20 20 0 0 Level 1 74.6 64.9 Level 2 77.2 82.6 Level 3 79.6 80.1 Level 4 77 75.4 Level 1 75.7 72.2 Level 2 72.3 76.5 Level 3 84.7 81.9 Level 4 80.5 82.3 Reading/Speaking Writing/Structure Reading/Speaking Writing/Structure
100 90 Spring 2017 ESL Completers 80 70 I 60 W 50 F 40 D 30 C or Better 20 10 0 ENG Comp Other Courses 100 90 80 70 W 60 Fall 2017 ESL Completers F 50 D 40 30 C or Better 20 10 0 ENG Comp Other Courses
Pre-Academic students are under-prepared for the first Academic ESL level Scheduling 5 credit ESL classes Teaching truly integrated courses Building conversational fluency Discrepancies between pass rates for department finals and actual pass rates
Accelerated Courses Learning Communities Hybrid courses Safety Net courses in Winter and Summer ESL Certificate of Achievement
Criteria Gender Age Country of Origin Criteria Gender Age Country of Origin Response 13 women and 3 men Range:17 - 36 yrs. old East Asia (6); Latin America (5); South Asia (2); Middle East (2); Europe (1) Response Education Education 8 with high school; 5 with high school and higher education Time in the United States Time in the United States Range: 3 mons to 4 years Prior ESL Studies Plans post MCC Work goals Long term goals Prior ESL Studies Plans post MCC Work goals Long term goals Range: 6 mons to 2 years 7 to transfer to a 4 year institution All 16 plan to work 1 student to return to native country MCC ESL 077 02 Level 2 Reading Speaking Class Spring 2018
Dictionary and Thesaurus http://dictionary.com Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English http://www.idoceonline.com Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary http://m-w.com Grammar Practice www.perfect-english-grammar.com www.azargrammar.com
For more information about our program, or if you have further questions, please reach out to either one of us: Gary Abbott: gabbott@middlesexcc.edu Iris Ramer: iramer@middlesexcc.edu Thank you for coming today.
